Joey Restaurant – Why the Eaton Centre is Your New Dining Destination

There is now a fantastic dining experience in tourist mecca at Yonge and Dundas.

Honest.

Joey Eaton Centre is one of the best places you’ll eat this year.

I know it’s hard to believe. We Torontonians are a fickle bunch and there’s no way that something not on Ossington or King West can be this spectacular, but believe it.

Chef Chris Mills, who I wrote about when he came to town last year for the James Beard Dinner trials, has shown the Toronto team exactly what he wants – and they’ve delivered.

The menu offers a global flavour, so there’s something for everyone. I was thrilled that there is so much to choose from but not have to page through a book of options like some places (you know who you are). The other amazing feature (other than the stellar food) is the price – decent with great sized portions. You’re not going home hungry, that’s for sure.

Here is an overview of what I had:

Those of you with a sweet tooth are going to be knocked out by the STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE ($7.99).

Here’s what I’m going to have when I go back (not at all once, mind you, but close):

BLAZING WINGS ($11.49) – 1lb of fiery hot wings with blue cheese dip. I am dying for a great place for wings.

ITALIAN FLATBREAD ($13.99) – spicy Italian sausage with whole milk mozzarella, basil and olives.  It’s not pizza, y’all, so stop calling it that.

I’ll be posting my interview with the affable Chef Mills on Wednesday and then on Friday, I’ll introduce you to the incredible wine program they’ve got – completely different than anywhere else in the city! Subscribe on the right to get them emailed directly to your inbox or be sure to check back on Wed and Fri.

I’ll also be tweeting about various Joey Eaton Centre features and happenings, so be sure to follow me on Twitter to get all the up-to-the-minute news!

Thanksgiving dinner

This year, I really wanted to do something other than turkey.

Don’t get me wrong – I think turkey is phenomenal and wish that I made it more frequently throughout the year – but after years of Thanksgivings and Christmases turkey-centric meals, I really wanted a change.  I also wanted something modern, because I tend to always rely on comfort food classics and the usual suspects.

The other change was that I didn’t spend weeks planning out the sides and thinking about it.

See, my birthday almost always falls on Canadian Thanksgiving weekend, so sometimes I’m not entirely sure what night we’re having it until the day before, or sometimes of, so I’ve learned over previous mishaps to go with the flow a little more.

I shopped for fresh vegetables on Monday morning in the neighbourhood and didn’t plan out anything until an hour before I started cooking.

Had I gone completely insane?

Perhaps.

Because the capon was small (2 lbs. boneless), I knew it wouldn’t take too long to cook, so I just kind of winged it and I can’t believe how well it all worked out.

It was the.best.Thanksgiving.dinner.I’ve.ever.made.

Ever.

Menu

Lemon-Sage Roasted Boneless Capon

Trio of Tomato Confit with Mushrooms, Basil & Balsamic

Crisp Organic Green Beans

Baked Potatoes with Green Onions

Stuffing

p.s. I made a Portuguese soup for Thanksgiving Day lunch – kale, kielbasa and black bean. Crazygood.

p.p.s. Usually I think something;’s going to turn out and it doesn’t. This meal completely surprised me. And I couldn’t duplicate it even if you paid me. That drives me crazy, but makes me appreciate the good meals all the more.

I’m back!

Last night’s menu:

* Fresh, local corn on the cob

* Caribbean Pork Tenderloin (with Rum, Brown Sugar and other spices)

* Warm Red Potato Salad with Creamy Lemon Basil Dressing

* Arugula, mushrooms and yellow zucchini drizzled with olive oil and aged balsamic vinegar

Food, glorious food

I finally made it back to the stove.

After a long day of walking the city, I came back to my hood to do a big grocery shop.

Ahh, so nice to have fresh goodies in the house!  But before putting them away, I cleaned out the fridge – ooh, there’s that lovely chicken chili I made last week and the pesto pasta that I thought we finished…

Then I put everything away.  With one small cupboard and one small fridge, this always means that I have to take out the majority of the items before I can make room for everything.

Really, it’s a whole thing.

Two hours after I had come through the door, everything is finally put away and the kitchen looks pristine.

It’s now time to make dinner.  I pull everything out and start the assembly.

My menu for tonight is:

- Roast skinless, boneless chicken breasts stuffed with wild leeks, fresh basil and lemons.

- Boiled new potatoes with olive oil and fresh dill

- Organic kale with garlic and horseradish

- Chopped salad of romaine, yellow peppers, endive and radish

I was tempted to do a big soup as well, but all that chopping and cooking took another hour or so, and I had started on a dessert (yes, I’m trying to learn to bake) that is going to take a couple of days, because you have to let things cool in the fridge in various stages. So despite how tired I was from the whole process, I was very close to just cooking all night.

However, I remembered that there is still tomorrow and Monday is a holiday here, so I may take a couple of hours in the afternoon to do something slow-cooked.

It is so good to be home, cooking again.  I am like an actor who just found out she got the part.

Tonight’s audition: finish the 3-part dessert (it’s a surprise), homemade soup (I think something minestrone-esque) and something from the new Jamie’s America cookbook.

Worth the wait

Last night’s food book club discussion was held at a sweet little French restaurant that was like being at a little cottage in Provence.

The long white table was lit by candles in towering silver holders.  The room was filled with smart folks and raucous laughter.  The menu was a long list of French classics, that made it hard to choose.  Selected dishes included Sea Bream, Choucroute Garnie, Calf’s Liver and Onions, but almost everyone couldn’t resist the Cassoulet.

I have written about Cassoulet again and again because it is such a comforting dish.  It is love in a bowl, I think.

Carmen took a picture of hers last night, though you can’t smell its richness or see the heft of the cast iron skillet.

Now I want to make it again, having seen how people were completely transformed by it last night.

And really, it is still cool enough here to have such a hearty winter dish.  Our heat is still clicking on at night and yesterday I went right back to wearing boots and a scarf.

Will you send me your cassoulet recipe or what you do to yours to make it your own?

I’ll post the recipe I end up using.

But it will have to wait as I’ve got a restaurant review  tonight and birthday gifts to buy for the love of my life.

It will be worth the wait.